Neurology. 1979 Aug; 29(8): 1188-90.

Spinal cord injury as a complication of an acupuncture.

Shiraishi S, Goto I, Kuroiwa Y, Nishio S, Kinoshita K.

Recently, acupuncture has been widely performed for the treatment of many different diseases. We studied a patient with migraine who had been treated by "okibari," an acupunctural procedure. About 20 needles were inserted permanently in the subcutaneous tissues of his neck and occipital scalp. About 6 months later he hit the back of his neck, and soon after this accident cervical myelopathy occurred. There have been no similar reports.